Nice FireStorm web site. I agree that the more open approach to new creatures and items helps to raise my enthusiasm. In fact, the site has definitely raised some additional excitement in me for this release - it's a while really since I've played any new Unreal SP releases, with the most recent one that I've played (outside of the 8th Anniversary maps) being Unreal: Forgotten.

Bring on The Chosen One and FireStorm. Those are the two upcoming releases that I still really want to play.

No offence is intended by the above to any of the other great mappers who are still churning out new content - but I barely even play the original Unreal mission any more, let alone any custom maps. It's just that The Chosen One and FireStorm are huge and feel like unfinished business for me.

(The same is true of Residual Decay to an extent, but I get the sense that it's much less likely to come out any time soon.)

P.S. I think I recognise which other USP-hosted site the FireStorm site was adapted from! It's no surprise, as it always did have the superior code - something I never got round to retrofitting to the main USP site.

Last edited by Hellscrag on 02 Jul 2011, 22:40, edited 1 time in total.

Hellscrag wrote:P.S. I think I recognise which other USP-hosted site the FireStorm site was adapted from! It's no surprise, as it always did have the superior code - something I never got round to retrofitting to the main USP site.

Real shame, that! At some later point I will try to tinker up my own framework for the site to make it even easier to change content, so it's not really worth changing to the Team USP system anymore before that happens. I really do need a change in that system, though; getting all those reviews and articles formatted without headers, footers or any php must've been one of Hercules' labours for you!

My thanks go to Delacroix for converting some maps. It is always nice to get to know maps never played before. A half year ago I played Final Worlds and I didn't think it was too bad.

Generally these reviews show me how differently the appreciation of a map can be. I would have swapped the scores for Bafford's Manor and The Incident At Nali Canyons.

Bafford hasn't deserved to get only 1 point in the cast part. It has a really great layout and good enemy placement. Everything is balanced and well thought out. Try to avoid the guards until you get the ASMD. Find a way upstairs avoiding the guards protecting the front door. Fortify yourself for the final combat, perhaps find a secret entrance to the desired room. Perhaps pathnodes are missing but the guards have nice patroling paths. And you don't realize the lack of ambient sounds when listening to that music.

Everything about the layout is from the original Thief layout, so I can't really give it credit for that. At least on Unreal difficulty it seemed like the AI spots you the moment you go anywhere near them if you try any sort of stealth (which would make any attempt at it pure trial and error), plus the design doesn't fit the AI at all, and they keep getting hung up on doorways etc.

You compare it to that Thief map and complain about everything what failed. Of course it can't reach the original. But at the same time you don't give credit for what was done right. He built it from scratch. This is no redux level where you must blind out the reused stuff.

Legendslayer222 wrote:Read the reviews too. Final Worlds review cracked me up. I will play the other four soon, likely tomorrow.

Ignore me from back then.

Okay, I just got round to playing the four maps. I love it when maps like these that I have never played are dug up, I enjoyed playing the small slices of Unreal fun that are Entrance to Cherokee Base and The Incident at Nali Canyons (Cherokee was my favourite of these newly reviewed maps).Arachnopolis was interesting but I didn't find it particularly gripping, with the lack of real story, confusing layout and mention of the author in a translator message. I think the 53% score seems a little high considering it puts it on level with great adventures like Return the Heart (55%). Bafford's Manor was a little pointless for me having not played Thief, from the very start I tried to break all the barrels and boxes like Unreal taught me. I watched a video of the level that map was based on and it's seems to be a decent conversion. It did get tense in there with all the Skaarj growls.